Our life living off the land in our log cabin, breathing fresh mountain air, and getting back to basics.

Monday, May 13, 2013

It's Ramp Time!

Ramps are a wild leek that grow only in early spring, so the ability to use them while still fresh is limited. They taste like a garlicky green onion and are considered a delicacy by some. Most people either love them or hate them. We happen to be in the lovers group. One of my first experiences cooking with ramp was making Ramp Pasta; I'll share the recipe after I review how to harvest ramps (which is something you need to know if you are lucky enough to live where they grow; if you don't you can buy them in some grocery stores and most vegetable markets).

Here in the southern Appalachian mountains, ramps grow in the woods and usually prefer damp areas with lots of leaves decaying about. They are almost always two leafed and have a pinkish stalk with a white bulb at the end. The photo below is of a small patch, but they can be found in very large patches as well. Mountain Man went harvesting ramps with some friends to a sloped wooded area that had clumps of ramps growing over about an acre or so; the ones in our woods grow in individual patches like the one in the photo, with patches only here and there.

When harvesting ramp, you need a spade or a small mattock. Carefully insert your tool deep into the soil around the ramp, being cautious not to cut into the root. Loosen the soil with the tool...

...and gently bring the root bulb to the surface.

I harvested one to show you how, but typically people harvest pounds at a time. When harvesting, it is extremely important to leave one for every one you harvest...this ensures sustainability of the patch and regrowth for harvests for years to com.

To clean the ramps, fill a bucket with water and place the dirt encrusted ramps into it, shaking them around. I've done mine in the sink because I only have 1, but you can see how much dirt comes off of one plant. You want to be sure that you remove the bulb's thin skin at this time as well.

Drain the water and rinse the ramp again (if I were cleaning a bunch I'd take them from the emptied bucket and place them into a water filled sink, rinsing again).

Now you are ready to cut off the root and either eat it (too strong for me to eat raw, but many people do) or cook it. If you are storing it, wrap the cleaned ramps into newspaper, place in a plastic bag (I use 2 to keep the smell contained) and put them in the fridge until you are ready to cook them. You also want to plant the root portion (sustainability and regrowth) in the woods; brush away decaying leaves and scratch the surface of the dirt, place the root there and cover again with the leaves...if you're lucky, next year you'll have your very own ramps!

Now on to ramp pasta...trust me, if you like the flavor of garlic and green onions, you are going to love this dish. And it's relatively easy to make (once your ramps are clean!). Dick and Ursula, we thought of you while we enjoyed this meal...sorry you couldn't be with us this time, but maybe you'll get to try the pickled ramps I'm going to make!

About Me

There are moments in life when you are reminded of how precious every moment is, and how important it is to love what you live. A favorite quote by Mark Twain “twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones that you did” was posted in my office. Following several undesirable events occurring in my life recently, most significantly my younger brother passing away unexpectedly, I knew it was time to “sail away from the safe harbor” (more of the same quote).
So my retired husband (best friend/confidant/Mountain Man) and I decided we wanted to go to the place we loved most, our log cabin in the Smoky Mountains, and “live off the land”. Time to…Simplify…Explore…Appreciate…Discover…Learn… Grow…
So I resigned from my job and here we are. I am recording the adventure in this blog. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I know I will.